


Serve, Protect and Avenge

by Jemisard



Category: The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemisard/pseuds/Jemisard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world with Sentinels and Guides, the purview of the newly formed Avengers team is much the same as ever.</p><p>This is a series of drabbles. Chapters may be added as new drabbles are written.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clockwork](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clockwork/gifts), [azarias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azarias/gifts).



The theory, as far as Bruce could tell, was that there was only one actual Sentinel on the team, thus there was no one else to get into a territorial pissing contest and fight to the death with. The rest of them–recruited for a variety of reasons which danced the edge of Sentinel abilities without becoming them–were not Sentinels and not Guides and not a Threat.

Which was laughable. All they were all threats, but not in the way that sent the cro-magnon in Barton’s head on a rampage of silent, arrow heavy death.

“So, how do we play this? Do we ignore the genetic throwback elephant in the room, or get it nicely out in the air to begin with?”

Example one: Tony Stark. Not a Sentinel or a Guide, but a man with a suit of power armour and the ego to carry off painting it gold and hot rod red.

Barton huffed. “Yeah, if you insist. We can do it like AA, Hi, I’m Clint, and I’m a Sentinel. It’s been four months since I last pounded a guy into the pavement because I snapped at him but only three days since I kicked the shit out of someone for being an asshole.”

Stark laughed and Bruce found even he was twitching a small smile.

“He your Guide?” Stark nodded to Coulson.

“No.” Barton nodded to the Black Widow. “She is.”

“And if you think it, I will end you before he has a chance,” she clarified with a small smile. “I do not need looking after.”

“I believe you,” Stark replied. “And of course, Captain, you need no introduction, we all know Captain America, and Dr Banner, I’m a big admirer of you work. Your most recent paper on quantum observation and potential benefits was inspired and I’m a huge fan of how you turn into a giant green rage machine.”

Bruce felt his brain hiccup and said rage monster perk before he quashed it down. “Er, thanks?”

“I’m curious, though, were you aware of your own Sentinel abilities before you performed the experiment?”

The room fell silent and Bruce felt it shift again, roil with old fear and anger. “The situation was, um, complicated and not really relevant at the moment.”

“No, wait, Coulson, did you bring a fucking loose Sentinel onto the team?” Barton looked annoyed, which was a step up from most Sentinel who would’ve gone straight from ‘unbonded’ to ‘MY Guide’ and through to ‘remove the threat’ without passing more than a second on the whole process.

“No, of course not.” Coulson stated. “Dr Banner is not part of this team because of any Sentinel abilities. Since he has none.”

Stark sidled up next to Bruce, grinning.

Bruce gave him a cautious glance. “Yes?”

“You don’t. But the Hulk does, doesn’t he?”

Lying from the outset would be a bad idea, so Bruce just closed his eyes, pulling off his glasses with a sigh. “Yes. The Hulk does.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce Banner isn’t a Sentinel.

But the Hulk is.

And the Hulk hates loud things and sharp things and bright things and guns represent all of that to him. He roars and pounds the ground, rippling it and sending people flying and the noise is quietened, just a bit, just for a moment until the next bright flash makes him roar again and grab for something to protect himself with, something to darken the light, to snuff it out.

“Hulk. Hulk, I need you to pay attention to me.”

The words cut through the roar and rhythmic thundering and the pop-bangs around him. He turns to look with a snarl, lifting the car over his head as shade, as threat, maybe both or neither.

“It’s okay. It’s over. No one’s going to hurt you.”

Another rush of sound passes too close and he roars at it, dares it to come closer, to let him crush it.

“Back off, Stark! Hulk, it’s okay. He’s not going to make it hurt more.”

Hulk can hear Bruce’s whispers, Steve Rogers, Captain America, superhero, all American good guy, don’t hurt Tony, he’s bright and loud and don’t hurt him. Bruce’s whispers make things a bit better, a bit easier to focus through, a bit less like-

_Exposed nerve._

“Hulk? You gonna put down the car?”

He looks up at the car in his hand and shakes his head. “Light bad.”

“Okay, that’s okay, buddy. What about if you put the car down and we can stand in the shade over there? That’s better shade than a car, right?”

Hulk looks to the dark spot mentioned and agreed. He huffs and sets down the car, shuffling over into the shade and relaxing as the light stops hurting.

“Anything else hurting?”

Looking, Hulk can see that the place is abandoned now, quiet and calm. He likes it like this. In the quiet and calm, there’s no spaces for getting angry because there’s other things more important.

Bruce is not angry in silence. In silence he sleeps and works and breathes and the annoying rush and pound sound is slower and quieter.

“Quiet,” Hulk comments softly. “Dark. Quiet. Good.”

“Yeah, it is, Hulk. You want to get some rest?”

That’d be good.

With a last exhalation, Hulk’s head drops, chin to chest and his form almost crumples in on itself as it becomes small and pink and vulnerable and blessedly removed from the constant sensory influx of uncontrolled Sentinel abilities.

Bruce sinks to his knees, the dig of gravel uncomfortable but not painful, the overcast sky providing enough light to see by and the beat of his heart echoing in his ears.


End file.
